Crimping technology was developed to replace a need to solder wire terminations. The methods for applying crimp terminations depend on the application and volume. For example, the application methods include the use of a hand tool, a press and die set, a stripper crimper, or a fully automatic wire processing system. In each of the methods, a proper configuration of the tool is needed for a quality crimp.
The quality of the crimp can be evaluated indirectly by monitoring the force applied during the crimp process (also referred to as crimp force monitoring (CFM)). CFM captures the force signature of a crimping press and compares it to a previously recorded signature. This method of monitoring allows for undetected wear to remain undetected. These inherent flaws associated with CFM result in passing bad crimps on to assembly.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods and systems for providing a direct method of evaluating the quality of the crimp. In addition, it is desirable to provide the methods and systems for use in a wire manufacturing process so that the tool can be properly configured when an error exists and thus preventing bad crimps from being passed on to assembly. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.